The next friend request you receive might come from the FBI.
The Obama administration has considered sending federal police undercover on social networking Web sites including Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter.
A confidential U.S. Department of Justice presentation on social networking sites made public Tuesday said that online undercover work can help agents to "communicate with suspects," "gain access to non-public info," and "map social relationships."
Federal police agencies organized under the Justice Department include the FBI, the U.S. Marshals, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The 33-page presentation noted that Twitter has a "stated policy of producing data only in response to legal process," while saying that Facebook is "often cooperative with emergency requests."